Work of Grant Program Recipients

Joan Mitchell Center AIR Program

Edward Giordano Jr.

I make sculpture using common building materials from Home Depot. Sometimes, I work using modeling clay or terra cotta for figure studies and sketches.

I construct my work like a carpenter who builds a house. I cut wood, make measurements, decide where screws go and apply plaster. I make decisions about proportion and scale: using the same metrics a good architect would apply to his design.

Design is a major component with my work. Successful arrangement of the parts and how the figurative aspect of the work integrates with construction. Is the figure too big, is the pose interesting and does it conjoin well with the wooden armature or plinth. These are the types of questions I ask myself.

When I work, I fuse the materials. For example, I use plaster and wood and treat them in a way, which becomes complete and expressive. I create anecdotal situations with my pieces that communicate the human condition.

They are humanoid. Perhaps, more like men than women. And some have a stoic stance, which depicts the plight of the common man: anxiety. A world that increasingly is becoming homogenize and smaller.

Formally in my work, I aim to grasp what is essential and harmonious; the shape of something, form, and order. With attention to this and my procedure, I hope all come together to express my intent.

The subject of my work is not only materials and procedure. A key component is the figure. I find a way to position the figure as I construct the work to depict humanity in a shrinking world. Where communication has become quick transmission and more detached but with a promise of immediate gratification.

I translate this plight with putting the figure in different positions. Some are upside down, carrying weighty objects, or intersected with the surrounding construction.